Surge in visitors to trade fair driven by APEC members

Business representatives from APEC member economies were a major component of visitors to the Chinese mainland entering through ports in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, since the opening of the 140th Chinese Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) in mid October.

Visitors originating from APEC economies represented 60.54 percent of all overseas merchants entering the southern metropolis ports in the past two weeks, a statement from the Guangzhou General Station of Immigration Inspection on Thursday said.

The fair, which reaches its 70th anniversary this year, is setting a new attendance record. More than 146,000 "person visits" from APEC member economies have been recorded at ports that include Baiyun International Airport, Pazhou Hong Kong-Macao ferry terminal and Nansha passenger port, in the past two weeks, a year-on-year increase of 21.5 percent.

APEC members, including Malaysia, Thailand, Russia, Australia and Singapore led the arrivals, the statement said. Since Sunday, business travelers holding valid APEC business travel cards may stay in China for up to 90 days, which helps accommodate multi-stop business itineraries.

Many merchants, after attending the fair in Guangzhou, will travel onward to Shenzhen for APEC-related business events, enabling seamless participation in multiple events with a single entry.

As the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting draws near, the number of merchants and delegates from APEC member economies passing through ports in Guangzhou is expected to rise further in the weeks to come.

Dedicated lanes will be opened at all passenger inspection ports, with additional multilingual service staff and wider application of intelligent inspection equipment deployed to ensure efficient and smooth entry and exit clearances for business visitors, the immigration authorities said.